Puzzles of the Heart
by xlnthands
Summary: What if Bobby and Alex got together after Great Barrier? Mature rating for last chapter
1. Chapter 1

**Puzzles of the Heart**

Nelda Carlson. John Tagman. And Nicole Wallace. Nicole Wallace again.

I have been obsessed with my partner since we first met.

Initially I flirted, encouraged his interests, delighted in meeting his friends, made snarky and sarcastic comments to entice his lips to smile. All things a woman of refined taste would do to indicateher interest, all for nothing. We became closer, a well-oiled meshing of a professional partnership. We worked flawlessly, without forethought or pre-planning. It was like a dance that required nopractice, no music, just the subtle exchange of ideas and interrogation. However, even as we drew closer and evermore intricately woven, he remained impervious to my attempts. Some days I wasdiscouraged enough to believe he was not only impervious but unaware, as well.

A funny thing happened over time though, I began to flirt less as I became more attached to him. I began to see how important he was to me. How much I wanted to see him each day. I began to understand what was at stake if I continued to push my luck. If I threw those dice and lost, I would lose my partner and my best friend. I became afraid.

I then let my sister talk me into doing her a colossal favor, to bear her a child. At first I was happy to do it. As a woman, I was curious about the process of giving birth, most women are. Some evolutionary protective gene allows all mothers to become pregnant still harboring a small niggling hope that the birthing process will more resemble a Disney movie than a scene from Stephen King's Carrie. There are some decisions in life that it's impossible to think of every contingency and everything it will effect ahead of time. So it went with my pregnancy.

As I said, I enjoy working with Bobby but the larger I got, the less I felt I was able to keep up with him physically, mentally or emotionally. It never occurred to me before I agreed to become an incubator that I would have to sit idly by and watch bags of Skittles given in sympathy, show up on my desk when I had cravings in the middle of the afternoon. Yes, I was grateful, but this was the man I wanted to send me flowers, to take me for Margaritas and all that usually ensues after mass quantities of tequila. Maybe if he were my husband and it had been our child, I could have reveled in his attention and concern. As it was, I ate my Skittles with relish and with rage as the empty calories added to my already engorged frame. It was galling to watch him carefully put me in the driver's seat of the SUV before getting into the passenger seat himself and know that he had no other designs upon my person. I think I went a little crazy then and started dating an accountant that my mother had been pushing at me. He was a nice, down-to-earth guy who worked on Wall Street, nine to five. He was only 5'7. I didn't have to strain my neck. He thought me being a cop was the hottest thing ever. He took me to a benefit once and when Bobby and the Captain found out, I asked them both if I was just supposed to sit home and knit while I was pregnant. It didn't matter though, the accountant wasn't exciting. He didn't keep me guessing, he didn't keep me entertained. His interests weren't as interesting, his jokes not as funny, his smile not as bright, his stare didn't carry as much weight. He wasn't Bobby.

Once the baby was born, everything would return to normal, I thought, but that was not to be either. The first thing was the depression. I couldn't believe how alone I felt without my little bun in the oven. I had talked to my nephew before he was born, he was my constant companion for nine months and then suddenly, he was gone. That was one thing Mr. Sherlock Holmes never picked up on, even though other people including the Captain kept asking me if I was doing okay and would notice that I looked pale and drawn. The second thing was the baby weight. I was determined to get that off as soon as possible. Bobby had spent four months looking at a beach ball, I wanted that thing popped post haste. Hours in the gym and in the pool gained me nothing, he never made a comment about my appearance good, bad or indifferent.

All this was still bearable though, I was back at his side, sending the tall leggy red-headed wanna-be partner back to whatever cake she had popped out of. At first, this was enough, and Bobby too seemed glad to have me back. I felt on top of the world but after a few cases, I realized there had been a subtle shift. Not as many lunches together, fewer offers of coffee. I soon realized, the only time we went out for drinks after a case was when it was initiated by me.

Then Nelda Carlson came into the picture. The murderer of Ray Garnet. When Bobby and I first interviewed her, and he explained to me how she had tried to pit us against one another, I had neverfelt closer to him. Ha, I thought, that stupid dumb blonde, try to come between me and my Bobby. And then she did just that. Once Bobby found out Nelda had lied about still being married to Barry Carlson, he had formulated his plan to gain her trust by feigning a romantic interest. I followed his logic but I was still disturbed by the speed in which he left the squad room to pursue his target.

When he brought back the voice tape that he had ingeniously obtained of the woman's voice, he had told me that he had confronted Nelda on her lie about her marital status. Even though the voice print was not a positive match, I was satisfied at that moment that, as had been the case in hundreds of cases before, Bobby was merely playing the suspect to garner her trust and get the evidence of her culpability.

And then there was the souvenir badge. I had nine of the things made for me when I graduated from the academy. Both my parents had wanted one as well as my brothers and sisters and my boyfriend at the time but Bobby had told me once that he had only gotten the one that the academy had provided. When I looked over his shoulder and saw it in his hands, I was shocked. I guess I had always assumed that if he only had one souvenir badge that he had given to his mother and it was buried in drawer somewhere at Carmel Ridge.

It was impossible not to let my suspicion show. I made sure he understood that I was aware how far he was going with Nelda, how much he was taking her into his confidence to gain hers in return. I talked to her husband, actually a decent guy. Maybe even someone I would have taken a liking to, before Bobby, before I knew there never would be anyone else for me. Barry unconsciously painted a picture of a woman who was obsessed with him. A woman who even six years after their divorce was final, was still taking care of him as her husband, ironing his shirts, making his food, checking up on him incessantly. Poor Barry, since he had never really been free of her, he couldn't see how deeply she still was entrenched in his life.

Once he told me that the only time he could get away from Nellie was during his commute when he listened to Ray Garnet's show on the radio, Bobby put two and two together with Nelda's possessiveness and realized that our nurse Nellie had found another way to be with her beloved hubby during his ride to work.

When I saw the academy photo that Nelda had given Bobby, I told him point blank that this woman had it bad for him. I felt we were back on firmer footing when his only response was that he was not sure how badly Nelda had it for Ray Garnet since she had not seemed interested in the details of the man's death that Bobby had tried to share with her. As our case against this woman began to come together and we cooked up the scheme of sending Bobby ahead of the warrant team, to warn Nelda ahead of time in order to try to get her to reveal what her trophy item had been, I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that my jealousy had been unfounded. Bobby was just being thorough like always. Dotting all his I's, crossing all of his T's.

When we entered Barry Carlson's house, the two of us were flawless. Bobby feigned guilt at being found ahead of the team, I feigned anger and suspicion of his motives. Everything was going according to plan. Nelda had not revealed what the trophy was prior to our arrival but Bobby figured out that it was Barry's keychain and the suspect began to back peddle and fall apart. Nelda was screaming to be allowed to stay with Barry even as Bobby and I cuffed her. I was directing the rest of team and almost missed their last exchange.

I stood numbly by for my ringside seat. Nelda had just asked Bobby how he could do this to her, how she knew Bobby cared for her, she had seen it. My mind had sped ahead and thought of what Bobby's answer would be. "No Nelda, you're a killer. You split people to form attachments. How could I ever care for you?" Or "No Nelda, sorry it was just another case."

I watched him struggle with the difficulty of seeing her beg him. I watched the torture on his face as he told her the truth. "I didn't mean for you to see it." I was rooted to the spot. I know my mouth was open. Bobby's eyes sought me out over her shoulder as the uniformed officers hauled the woman away. His eyes clearly showed his pain and then the curtain came down on his expression and he stalked out of the room.

That night at the neighborhood cop bar, I was slamming back martinis hoping that at least this time they would dull my pain. At first, I could only think, he loves her. How the hell does he love Nellie the noxious Nurse and not love me? It took me longer than that one drunken night to figure it out. As much as I know my partner, I constantly make mistakes by underestimating him. Not his intelligence or the depths of his compassion, these are the things I know well. I keep underestimating the depths of his suffering and every time this happens, I feel like I lose him a little more.

I went to see Nelda in jail. I was merciless. I traded information about Barry; what Barry was wearing when I last saw him, what he had eaten for lunch, for information on what she had done and said to Bobby. She told me about how profoundly grateful he had been for her research about his mother's medications. She described how hungry he had seemed for her appreciation of his souvenir badge. She told me how she could feel the slight tremor in his shoulders as she had helped him on with his coat. Nelda helped me to see what I had been blind to before, Bobby was attracted to the delicate type. Someone to whom he could appear helpful, caring and kind. Someone who would show their appreciation in a demure and lady like way.

I reviewed all this in my head as I again warmed a barstool in the same establishment when two of Joe's former buddies came in swerving drunkenly toward me. "There she is, Pit-bull Eames." said Levinson cheerfully.

"That is one cute woman." said Cherney.

"Oh, be careful buddy, Alex may be cute but she will have your balls in a vice grip if you piss her off." I got up off the bar stool and grabbed my purse.

"What? What did I say?' Levinson called after me. I realized at that moment that no one would consider me nurturing or demure and especially not lady like apparently.

One of our next cases taught me something else about my partner that seemed to pull him even farther away from me.

*********************************************************************************************************

A/N: Please let me know what you all think. I have a great respect for the talent of all the authors and readers of this site so praise and constructive criticism is welcome.

PS: I am having trouble with spacing both having space in between paragraphs and having two blank spaces after each sentance, if anybody knows a trick, I would be grateful.


	2. Chapter 2

**Puzzles of the Heart **

**Chapter 2**

A ballet dancer working her way through dance school as an exotic dancer was found dead in the woods near a neighborhood. Normally I grow as fascinated as my partner as we build our cases but this one got to me. The thought of someone drilling into some poor woman's skull just so he could damage her brain, make her act like she wanted to stay with him, it made me sick. I couldn't wait to catch this creep and put him behind bars.

When we found the guy, Bobby wanted a meal voucher, to get close to the perp. I didn't realize it, but it was Nelda all over again. The farther Bobby got inside this guy's head, the more he sympathized with him. The more he understood his interests, his triggers, his motives, the more he empathized.

Once Bobby understood that John Tagman was drinking because of his remorse, Bobby got reeled in. I wished I had been with him when he had went to talk to this guy. I will always wonder what Tagman said to him exactly that made Bobby jump so completely into his corner. Neither the Captain, ADA Carver nor I could get past the things that Tagman did to his victims but the one afternoon Bobby spend with him alone, playing the big brother was enough to convince him that the young chocolatier was worth saving. You didn't tell me what you had planned, you didn't take me into your confidence, Bobby.

We finished interrogating Tagman and I left the room. I thought Bobby was right behind me but he stayed and got the man to confess. He blew the ADA's plans for first degree right out of the water, right in front of the attorney's eyes.

By the time we got word of Tagman's murder in the prison laundry room, I had calmed down enough and given the problem enough thought that I understood my partner's reasons. Not only his reasons for going to bat for Tagman, but what drew Bobby to him. You felt sorry for him, Bobby. You could empathize with the struggle he had forming attachments, chatting up the girls, being the shy guy. I've watched my partner over the years. He has an incredible amount of charm that he uses on women and men alike to get what he wants. I've seen him charm information out of librarians, hookers, priests and mothers. He does it so elegantly that only I can tell that it comes at a price. Underneath, he is a shy guy, too. Maybe Bobby thinks he could be in John Tagman's shoes if only he hadn't been smart enough, observant enough to cultivate that charm. "You never seem to doubt your own intelligence, Bobby, why do you ever doubt your own humanity?"

When we left Carver's office, I asked Bobby to the Cop Shop bar for a drink. We found seats at the end of the bar away from the blare of the juke box and crowds around the pool table. Bobby looked at me sharply when the bartender set a martini down in front of me without asking. I kept my eyes on the floating olive. I didn't speak until his whiskey was in front of him and he had downed a good portion of it.

"I ..I uh wanted to apologize Bobby." I stuttered. That got his attention and he turned on his stool to face me. "I didn't get it at first why you could take up for Tagman. I couldn't see past what he had done for awhile." I looked up from the olive to see Bobby looking at me intently. I could see compassion and the understanding he had for how hard I found it to say this to him.

"I know we are supposed to only concern ourselves with catching the bad guys and making sure there is enough evidence to convict them but......" he left off and took another sip of the whiskey. "I find it impossible to separate evidence from truth. The evidence _is_the truth, to me. It was impossible for me to find the evidence of John Tagman's guilt and then ignore the evidence of his horror and remorse. I couldn't sit idly by and watch Carver only choose to use half of the truth." I smiled at him encouragingly. "It's always when I'm trying to find out the whole truth that I seem to lose the support of those around me." He hung his head as if he was ashamed.

I had turned in my seat to face him also. I took both of his hands in mine, marveling at their size and delicacy. A small shiver ran through me as I couldn't help taking a moment to think what those hands might feel like on my skin. "Bobby, you didn't lose anyone's support. Yes, the Captain and I were surprised, at first, but both of us understood eventually. After you left, the captain told Carver to hurry up and get in there to Tagman to offer him a plea. Carver even pulled me aside after we got the call from the prison to say he realized he had been overzealous."

My thumbs rubbed gentle circles over his palms. Bobby kept his eyes focused on our hands but he looked up into my eyes as I finished speaking. A small gentle smile played at his lips. I knew my expression at the that moment was unguarded and the truth lay open upon my face. The smile grew wider as he brought a finger to my temple and brushed an errant lock of my hair away from my eyes tucking it behind my ear. That same finger finished its descent by drawing a trail of fire down my jaw line and out to the tip of my chin. He leaned forward and whispered in my ear: "Thank you, Eames." His lips just barely brushed my cheek and then he was gone. I sat there dazedly not believing what had just happened. I spent the next few moments still feeling his lips on my cheek, wishing there was a way to capture the feeling in a box so I could take it home and keep it for always.

I spent the weekend with my family. That always helped me regain my equilibrium but I finally gave into my desires and called him on Sunday just to hear his voice. "What are you doing?" I asked him.

His voice was a rich chuckle at my question. "I um, uh was just about to catch a movie actually."

I felt mortified that I had given into my stupid temptation and had interrupted him on a date. "Hey, have a nice time, Bobby. I'll see you tomorrow at work."

"Eames," I heard just before I was going to hang up. "Would you like to come with me?" I couldn't believe how much I felt like a school girl, I couldn't bring myself to answer, I was so surprised. "Eames?", there was that chuckle again.

"What's the movie, probably some French film with subtitles and no popcorn, huh?"

"Ah, its actually a chick flick." He said. I bristled at the term and I was pretty sure he realized that and he had used it to get a rise out of me. "But you'll have to come if you want to know what it is."

Two hours later we were emerging from the theater just as the marquee lights were coming on. "What made you choose Breakfast at Tiffany's?" I asked. He had turned to walk to the left of the theater, his hands buried deep in his pockets. He was walking slowly put I still had to trot to keep up with his long stride.

"I met this sort of strange guy in the library last week. We were both reaching for the same dusty old psychology tome. We struck up a conversation. I told him what I did for a living and he began to spout off psychology sources he thought would be of use to me. Get this, he's a retired cop." We had both come to a stop on the sidewalk. "I think he may have been asked to leave. Anyway, I had read most of the sources he sighted then the guy cocked his head to the side and studied me really intently and asked if I had ever seen Breakfast at Tiffany's. I told him I hadn't and the guy just smiled, shook my hand and left."

"Who was he?"

"Just said his name was Nickels." Bobby shrugged and continued down the block.

"Doesn't ring any bells with me. Hey, my car is the other way." I said using it as an excuse to take his arm.

"But the best ice cream in the city is this way." He said putting his hand over my hand and threading his fingers through mine, effectively trapping it there as if I would want to remove it. There was a cold wind swirling lazily around the buildings lifting newspapers and playbills into the air and twirling them around my ankles. I stopped to pull one such paper off me where it had somehow gotten lodged in the top of my boot but Bobby leaned down to retrieve it first. I had to close my eyes as I felt his hand on my thigh near the edge of my skirt. Surely, he was taking too long just to pull a piece of trash away from me. I didn't open my eyes again until I could feel he had straightened back up to his full height and was no longer caressing my thigh. Did I imagine that his face looked flushed or was it just the cold wind that created the apples in his cheeks and had reddened the tip of his nose?

He repositioned my scarf around my neck and gave me one of those rare delicious smiles that made me immediately not need my scarf ever again. "Name your poison, Eames. What do you like Rocky Road, Vanilla or Rum Raisin?" He began to run the rest of the way to the shop pulling me along after him.


	3. Chapter 3

Puzzles of the Heart

Chapter 3

I enjoyed the next week we spent together. I think Bobby did too. We did not catch another case. We testified in court, took long lunches, tidied away the endless paperwork. No one would call it idyllic but by police standards it was close. Then our next case descended upon us like a maelstrom.

It started out a pretty little knotty problem with an interesting cast of characters that seemed tailor-made for Bobby's abilities. A jewelry heist pulled off by an Asian girl pretending to be a well-to-do Japanese woman directly from Tokyo and her handsome partner in crime. Bobby was convinced that the man was the only one of the pair who had actually ever spent anytime in Japan. The assistant had ended up dead in subway station just minutes after their getaway.

We followed the leads from the assistant's business card to his place of residence, to the shop where the clothing was bought for the woman to wear during the heist. All the dominos were falling into place. We deduced there was another more silent partner that the Asian woman was staying in sight for during her practice sessions with the assistant and during their shopping trip. We surmised that the Asian woman might be a bike messenger. We found the girls parents, surmised that she might try her next jewelry heist with a Singapore accent and got a hit from one of the store managers. In hindsight, I guess both of us should have realized that no case lays down in such a neat and straight line but neither of us saw the puppet master until she revealed herself at the dress shop across from the second jewelry store.

The clerk of the upscale dress shop remembered what the woman who had come into the store that morning had told her about the time she had spent at Oxford. The clerk said the woman had spent a couple of weeks there chasing boys. My heart sank into my shoes. "That has a familiar ring to it." I said but somehow I could sense that Bobby had already figured out that Nicole Wallace was back pulling the strings again. I watched his face as he dealt with the knowledge. I wanted to scream at him. I knew as well as he did what a rapid blink response meant. Here we go, I thought, down the goddam rabbit hole again. Only this time, I will make damn sure I play the queen and I promised myself Nicole was not leaving with her head.

We picked up Ella Miwasaki and began to question her. It had been my idea to play part of Nicole's interrogation tape for Ella, to try to create some chink in the armor that Nicole had woven around her. Watching our suspect's face, I think the plan worked but watching Bobby's face was an entirely different matter. Again I watch him battle with the dangerous subject matter the two of them had danced around years before. I could tell he was affected but was it by Nicole's rapier insight into his psyche or by just seeing her image and hearing her voice? Was he sickened by her or was he in love with her or was it, as I suspected, some unhinged combination of the two? I finally shut the tape off in disgust.

Once we came out of the interrogation room and the Captain told us Nicole was there waiting for Ella. I made damn sure that I entered the room first. I'm sure Bobby saw through my protective demeanor. Once I was in the doorway, I didn't move forward, effectively keeping him out of the room. As soon as Nicole realized I was not letting Bobby in the room, she attacked me by bringing up my pregnancy. Bobby actually moved me aside to enter the fray. I didn't know whether to be grateful or angry. The three of us sparred with the usual venom but, as Bobby mentioned to her, Nicole was off her game. She was more agitated than either of us had ever seen her. For the first time, I felt a glimmer of hope that she was no longer obsessed with my partner. Bobby was right, there was blood in the water.

Trying to follow Nicole's twisted sense of logic next took us to the financial advisor of her ex-husband Gavin Haines where we were able to thwart an attempt on the man's life.

A call to Sydney revealed a birth certificate showing Nicole Wallace and Rowan Bartlet as the parents and an accident report showing the little girl was swept out to sea three years later.

"We need to bring Ella and Nicole back in." Bobby said.

"Once we do, how do you want to play it?" I asked knowing his mind was already plotting a verbal trap for the false Ms Hitchens to fall into.

"Well," his hand reached back to rub his neck and a devious smile played at the corners of his mouth, "Nicole does seem to like teasing you about your pregnancy."

I grinned back. "I get it. Leave it to me. Do you want me to get disgusted and leave the two of you alone?"

He looked at me apologetically, "She never really loses it until its just the two of us."

As I watched Bobby spar yet again with Nicole from the other side of the mirror, I hoped sincerely that this would be the last time. I hoped that finally we would make a case strong enough to put her behind bars and keep her there. My mind continued to think of these pleasant thoughts when I heard Bobby's response to something Nicole had said.

"People like you and me just aren't fated to have children, Bobby."

"Well, don't count me out yet," was Bobby's reply.

My heart was hammering in my chest. I was sure the Captain and Carver must be able to hear it. Bobby wanted children? This was news to me. Maybe seeing me toddle around for nine months hadn't been such a turn off after all. Maybe seeing me with that pregnancy glow had gotten him thinking. Maybe.

The rest of Bobby's interrogation with Nicole was textbook. I was relieved to see that for the first time Bobby stayed out of Wallace's personal space. He stayed on his side of the table. He stayed impersonal. This was no longer a dance between two would-be lovers. Bobby was the professional. Nicole was just what she really was, a criminal, a murderer, a psychopath.

We used the knowledge of Nicole's deceased daughter to turn Ella Miwasaki and got her to agree to lure Nicole into a trap. The best laid traps of mice and men however often go astray. Nicole killed her young lover and either drowned in the east river or ingeniously staged her death. I couldn't believe she would still be alive but I could tell that my partner has serious doubts about it.

**A/N Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! Honestly I was overwhelmed. This is my first fan fic and this chapter and the next rely heavily on the details of Great Barrier and Want but the final chapter is all mine. I am also working on another story that parallels this one from Bobby's POV. Its called Mysteries of Love. Again thanks for the encouragement.**


	4. Chapter 4

Puzzles of the Heart

WARNING: THIS IS THE MATURE RATING CHAPTER!!

Actually I think its a little tame myself but a friend of mine who does not enjoy this sort of thing explained her position to me very well one day. She made me realize that I have as much right to enjoy the sex and she has the right not to, she merely requires a warning so Susan this chapter ain't for you baby!

Chapter 4

I went home that night feeling edgy and keyed up. I fed my cat. I alphabetized the spices in the spice rack, the ones with a layer of dust on the lids because I hardly ever use them. I finally decided the one thing that would get rid of this mood would be to clean the furnace in preparation for the coming winter cold. A homeowner's work is never done. I changed into an old tee shirt that showed the marks of previous painting and home repair projects. The neckline was ripped and the seam under the other arm was giving way. It was a rag but I figured I would toss it after this last job.

Cleaning a furnace is no fun. Its dusty and yucky and it used to be something that Joe took care of. After he was killed, I did it faithfully every year just to feel connected to him again.

"Is it broken?"

I screamed, rose up and banged my head painfully on the sharp edge of the burner. "How the hell did you get in here?" I yelled at him, holding my head. Tears were welling up behind my eyes. I could already feel a lump starting to rise.

Two long strides brought Bobby to my side from the foot of the cellar stairs. "I'm sorry. I rang the bell a bunch of times but you didn't answer." He took my hands from my head and pulled me over under the cellar light to have a look. "I saw your car in the drive and the lights and the TV on and….I got scared actually." He continued to hold my head brushing the hair away gently from the spot. "I was afraid something happened to you, Alex."

I relished the sound of my name on his lips. I looked up into his face and he saw the unshed tears in my eyes. "I forgot I gave you my key."

I saw something darken behind his eyes as he stood close to me with his hands cradling my ears. He leaned forward ever so slightly but then brought his hands down to my elbows. "Come on, lets get you some ice or you're going to have a goose egg." He propelled me up the stairs ahead of him which left me acutely aware of the fact that along with the horrid tee shirt, I was only wearing a skimpy pair of shorts that had also seen better days.

I had lit a fire earlier and it was roaring merrily. Bobby deposited me on the couch in front of it before going in search of ice in the kitchen. He had been here a few times before and it wasn't necessary for me to direct him as he found the ice pack and got us drinks.

He brought glasses of soda for us both and a zip lock bag of ice for my head. When I reached to take the bag from him, I saw how dirty my hands were from the furnace. "Now, now," said Bobby, "you can wash up after the obligatory twenty minutes with the ice pack." He took the item and applied it to my head himself. "I really am sorry for scaring you and for…" his free hand motioned toward my head.

A wisecrack hovered on my lips but his voice was soft and so sincere, I just nodded and smiled. This was dangerous. I leaned forward and picked up my drink and felt a trickle of cold water from the ice pack run down my neck. At least that's the reason I gave myself for my shiver."

"Here," Bobby reached over and grabbed the afghan I had slung over the back of the couch. "What are you doing running around in shorts anyway, its freezing outside?" He tucked the blanket around me. "You know, Eames, I don't think I've ever seen you wear those shorts before."

I snickered, "Yeah and you never will again. How dare you catch me in my home improvement clothes."

"Home improvement, huh? What do you wear planting tulips in the spring?" I reached for the ice bag. "No, only about eight minutes so far." I gave him my _**don't**_ _**mess with the cop**_ look and he acquiesced, raising both hands in the air.

I made a bee line for the kitchen to ditch the bag and wash my hands but Bobby had jumped up to follow me. The hall mirror caught my attention and I gave a squawk at the soot and dust on my face and in my hair. Bobby came up behind me. "What," he said looking at the two of us in the reflection. "Its just a little dirt." He brushed at a spot on my nose. "Come here." He turned me to face him and brushed a little at my hair. This was more dangerous. "See it comes right off."

"Um, Bobby, I uh…" I couldn't finish. He had stepped closer and those hands were still on my face, his thumb on my chin and his fingers on the sensitive chords of my neck.

"What, Alex?" I could feel his breath stir the hair at my temple. "What do you want, Alex?"

My resistance was gone. I was trying to keep a tight grip on my emotions but I my hand rose up to touch his cheek, as I had wanted to do a thousand times, for so many years. His eyes closed at my touch and then his resolve broke like the sudden onset of a monsoon. He mouth descended upon mine in an instant, hard and insistence. I reached up to bury my hands in his curls and to stop him from ever pulling away from me. His hands were everywhere, caressing my neck, my shoulder blades and then back in my hair. His lips slide off mine and moved to my ear. "Are you sure, Alex? He whispered. "Are you sure this is what you want? Is it me you want?"

At his words, I felt my breath catch and bolt of desire shoot down my center. I pulled back and looked into those sweet warm eyes. "Yes, Bobby I want you. I have for ages." I watched a fire ignite in his eyes and realized I was in for it now. All the glimpses of that tightly controlled passion that he kept under wraps was about to be unleashed on me. I shivered again but this time in anticipation.

He brought his lips to mine again but this time softly, barely touching mine. Pulling back each time to look into my eyes again. He hands came to rest on my backside and he pulled me firmly to him. He moaned deeply into my mouth as those talented hands lifted me and pushed me into the wall. I felt my breath leave by body but I only needed him. My mouth slipped off his and moved to his neck. I had the satisfaction on hearing him suck in his breath at the feel on my mouth under his ear. My hands found the buttons of his shirt and I was intent on removing the offending garment as fast as I could but I was finding it hard to concentrate as Bobby's fingers had located the ripped seam in my shirt and he apparently found it fascinating. I finally succeeded in pushing his dress shirt off his shoulders but he had to let go of me to take it off his arms. I slid down the wall. "Ouch" I laughed rubbing my head. Bobby pulled me to him, his hand gently cradling the place where the lump was, his chin resting lightly on top of my head. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. He smelled like Manhattan on a cold afternoon, like summer grass and cotton candy all rolled into one.

He picked me up and carried me back into the living room. He stood me up on the coffee table in front of the fire and stepped back to look at me. I was now a couple of inches taller than him. The firelight played in his eyes as he looked up at me with all the longing in his heart written on his face. It was more than I could have hoped for. I smiled sweetly and peeled off the tee shirt and then my bra. Bobby kicked off his pants and boxers, never taking his eyes off of me. I reached for the waist band of my shorts but his hands stopped me.

"Stop. Wait, I just want to look at you." He raised my arms up and twirled me slowly around in a circle. "I really like these shorts." He gave me such a naughty grin that I could feel myself getting wetter by the second. I caught my arms around his neck, his mouth was just at the level of my breasts. His mouth was so hot I knew I would find welts from his lips in the morning. Bobby slipped his fingers into the waistband of my shorts and slowly pulled both my panties and the shorts down to my knees.

"Bobby I can't take this." I told him pulling him closer to my breast. His response was another devious grin as his tongue left my breast to wander down my stomach to my navel. "Oh my God," I cried as my hips bucked forward. His clever tongue moved lower but never exactly where I needed him to be. My hands were entwined in his hair urging him to my center. Instead of indulging me, he looked up in my face, "I want to watch you as you come for me." His hands spread my legs and I suddenly felt the those talented fingers inside me. I felt the world explode around me and Bobby's eyes never left my face. He gathered me in his arms as I came floating back down to earth. He pulled me onto his lap, straddling him on the couch.

"So you weren't kidding with Jones were you?" I said.

Bobby threw his head back and laughed even as he eased into me. "No, and it made me sick to watch you flirt with him." I would have objected but my brain was only able to focus on the impossible size of his shaft and the sensation of it filling me up. I gasp as I felt it strain against my cervix.

He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, as if to keep me from escaping. "Its okay, we'll take it slow until you get used to it." He chuckled quietly in my ear.

We found our rhythm and then it was my turn to observe the look of ecstasy on his face and the sight of it pushed me over the edge once more into my own climax.

Bobby pulled me down to lay beside him, the fire crackled in the background.

"Uh Oh," I said twirling a finger through the hair on his chest. "I think we just broke a rule."

I loved his laugh, it make him seem younger and uninhibited. "Well, I'm not calling Deakins but if you feel the need to confess, be my guest."

"Do you think I'm that much of a goody goody that I can't break a few rules?" My hand began to make lazy circles down his stomach.

""Hey, cut that out. You have a dirty mind, not to mention face."

I smacked his belly. "Fine I'm taking a shower." I tried to get up but those strong arms that drove me wild on the few occasions I had seen him in a tee shirt would not let me up.

He nipped at my earlobe, gently tugging my earring with his teeth. "I have no intention of letting you up from here." He whispered in my ear. "You don't know, Alex, how long I stood there watching you bent over that furnace before I finally found my voice. You are the sexiest woman I've ever seen."

"I've always known you were a little left of center Bobby but a furnace fetish, please."

"Go ahead joke if you want." He twisted me away from him so that I lay spooned up against him. His lips were raising goose bumps on my back and his hands were cupping my breasts.

"Why am I only hearing about this now?" I teased him but the question was no laughing matter.

His hand moved down my stomach tracing the line of soft hair down into my folds. I gasp as he found my clitoris. "I wanted to tell you. Everyday, a million times. How could I admit to you or myself that only having you as a partner, as great as that is, wasn't enough?"

I felt myself moving resolutely toward the edge of orgasm. Both at his hands and at his words. Suddenly he stopped. "How about that shower now?" He leapt over the top of me and pulled me to my feet. Standing in the circle of his arms again was like coming home.

I reached up to touch his face, just so I could be sure he was really there. "I felt the same way, Bobby. I didn't want to do anything to lose you."

He groaned and his mouth descended upon mine with more intensity than before. I couldn't breath and didn't need to. I never noticed the tears that were flowing from my eyes until Bobby brought a hand up to cup my face. "Shhh," he held my head against his chest. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

"I know," I sniffed. "I'm being silly."

"Come on."

The house had been built in the 80s with an enormous Jacuzzi tub. Joe tried and tried but could never fix it and he wouldn't hear of calling a plumber. The day after his funeral, I couldn't deal with his loss. I was crying and trying to figure out how I was supposed to go on without him. From somewhere outside myself I heard a voice say, "Call the damn plumber." I wont say it was Joe's voice but that is exactly what I did. The plumber came and fixed the tub which for the next several years held me while I cried.

When Bobby pulled me into the bathroom and caught sight of the tub he stopped short and gave a low whistle. "Oh, this is going to be fun." I however, hung back not sure if I was ready to share this with him. He noticed my rescindment. "Wait, is this a Joe thing? Dammit, I knew I should have brought you to my place."

His obvious chagrin and concern melted my reserve. "No its okay. I didn't get this working until after he was gone." When I didn't go on. Bobby put a finger to my chin and lifted my face to his. His lips brushed mine. "I just deal with things in there. Cases, losses, frustrations, undeclared feelings for my partner; you name it." I shrugged as if it didn't matter.

"So this is like your tree house?" He teased me. "This is the place where you curse and sing and dream and hide out from the world? His hands had delved into my hair again massaging my scalp. "Do you want to share it with me?"

I nodded and began to fill the tap. "How about some bubbles?" I smiled wickedly at him.

"No, I know from experience that tomorrow at work everyone will smell it on me."

"From experience huh? Who have you been taking a bubble bath with?" I wagged a finger under his nose playfully.

He grabbed my hand and held it captive against his chest. "No, no, no, I'm not going to reveal all my secrets in one night."

I woke up in the morning with a heavy arm flung over my hip, pinning me to the bed. It felt just as wonderful as I could have ever imagined. I rolled over to see two luscious brown eyes, crinkled at the corners, looking back at me. His hair stood up wildly on his head, his lips still full and red from our kisses the night before. I smiled widely, like a kid that finally got what she wanted for Christmas. "I have fantasized about what you would look like in the morning." He said kissing both my eyelids. "Seeing the sleep and the sex from the night before in your eyes." He whispered softly.

I wanted to ask him what finally brought him to me. Why he had picked last night of all the other nights to come to my door but I didn't want to jinx anything. In fact, I felt like getting up and throwing salt over my shoulder, rubbing a rabbit's foot or spitting on a new baseball bat, anything to keep my good fortune. "I'm really glad you're here." I said lamely.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 final chapter

**A/N I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update. Both my hubby and I have been sick with the flu. Swine or otherwise, I have no idea but today is the first day I don't feel like my head is made entirely of cotton. This is the final chapter to this story but I will be submitting a companion piece called Mysteries of Love soon. Thanks again for all the words of encouragement. Long live Bobby and Alex!!**

**Two weeks later**

I had just stepped out of the shower. We were going to be late if we didn't hurry up. Bobby still didn't seemed to get the concept that the farther you live from the station the earlier you have to get up to make it to work on time.

I snuck into the bedroom where he lay sleeping. He lay on his back with one arm flung out toward my side of the bed. A tiny snore emanated from his beautiful lips. I tried to resist, I really did, but growing up with three older brothers had instilled mischief in my heart at an early age. I crept up to him and then quickly rubbed my wet hair all over his chest and belly. I heard him gasp and felt those arms of steel snake their way around me, trapping me against him.

"Oh, you are going to pay for that, missy" He picked me up and carried me toward the bathroom and the shower and climbed in. He plopped me down on the shower tile and used one hand to push me against the wall and hold me there while he spun the dial of the controls to cold. I screamed enough to wake the neighbors but Bobby just let the cold water pelt both of us. I could feel his hands on my breasts rubbing my nipples as the icy water assaulted my skin. As cold as I was, this was making me so hot.

"Stop Bobby stop! Its too cold!" He shut the water off and spun me around to kiss me.

"How come the cold water doesn't bother you." I pouted at him.

He tilted his head back and laughed. "Practice, lots and lots of practice. In fact, I've been practicing that ability since the day I set foot in Major Case."

"Oh, you been taking cold showers that long? Poor baby, you should have told me, I would have helped you with that."

Within minutes the room felt like a sauna. I tried to remove my mouth from his in protest. He covered it with his hand. "Shhh, I guess we are going to be late"

*************************************

"Do you think they believed us?" I asked him later as we lay next to one another.

"Hmmm?" He asked barely awake.

I jabbed him lightly in the side. "That we both got food poisoning and couldn't come into work."

"They'll believe _**me**_, I gave the Captain the complete list of symptoms for B. Cereus toxin which is a common food poison pathogen with an incubation period of ten hours or more." He reached over and patted my stomach. "_**You**_, on the other hand, merely said you ate something bad and wouldn't be in."

"Tell me, were you the type of kid who held the thermometer up to a light bulb in order to stay home too?" I teased.

"Um, no. The only time I stayed home from school was when my mom was sick."

"My heart went out to him. I snuggled in closer to him as if by doing so I could absorb all of the pain; from the little boy he had been and from the man he was now.

Bobby gathered me in closer to him, staring down at me with those incredible eyes. They were smoky and sultry and I was thanking my lucky stars for sick days and telephones and bosses that don't ask too many questions, when suddenly his expression changed.

"I almost forgot, I have something for you." He leapt out of bed and two long strides carried him out of the bedroom. I lay bemused at his behavior and utterly enchanted with the naked ballet I had just witnessed.

He came back with a rather large box tied with a red ribbon. "Happy Birthday."

I grinned thinking, no matter what was in the box, it couldn't be any better than the man carrying it. "Its not till tomorrow, Bobby."

"Yes, I know," he grinned hanging his head. "But tomorrow, you'll be with your family. I uh,.. I wanted to be first, you know." I couldn't help but smile at the delight in his face. "Besides, I really got you something good and I couldn't wait any longer to give it to you. Go on open it up."

I opened the box carefully, thinking something might jump out at me. You have to remember I had been working with cops for years, I knew their sense of humor.

"Lewis helped me with it," Bobby said with obvious pride.

"Lewis?" I couldn't imagine Lewis the Grease Monkey inside a nice jewelry store or perfume shop. Inside, nestled in a sea of white tissue paper was a remote control race car. I picked it up with the bewilderment I felt showing clearly on my face. "What? Why? Is this supposed to be for my nephew?"

"Look at the card, Eames."

Underneath the toy car was a small envelope. "Oh my God, Bobby! Oh my God!" Inside was a paid voucher for a Formula race car driving school that I had been longing to go to.

Early on in our partnership, it was established that I would be the one to drive. I like to drive and Bobby, well, Bobby gets distracted. One minute we would be looking for a suspect's apartment and the next minute the car would swerve violently around a corner and suddenly I would be subjected to a lecture about the what degree of pitch is neededto determine a true Mansard roof on some old apartment building. But like I said, I like to drive and when I assumed those duties, I told Bobby about the driving school.

"The class is two days with four hours of track time each day but the next three days are all driving with the last day being a real race against the other drivers." He was reclining on the bed with his head propped up on one hand, the sheet pooled around his waist. He expression was anxious but hopeful.

"Bobby, this is too much. I know how much this costs. Its why I haven't done it before now."

"But you do like it?" He asked not taking his eyes from mine.

"What's not to like? I've been talking your ear off about this school every spring." I leaned forward to kiss him.

"Well, there you go." He leaned toward my lips. "Now, I'll finally get some peace!" He ended up with a face full of feather pillow rather than a kiss.


End file.
